Lev Oborin studied piano under Konstantin Igumnov at the Moscow Conservatory from 1921 to 1926. He continued his training in Igumnov's class as a postgraduate student in 1927.
Igumnov was instrumental in Oborin's participation in the First International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He presented the competition program to Oborin three weeks before the event and insisted that he prepare for it, despite the short timeframe.
